Resident Evil: Transmission
by anyankafan
Summary: 1998saw the utter destruction of Raccoon City. Everyone knows that it was a virus forged by the Umbrella Corporation that ended in a nuclear detonation, but few know anything about the survivors, whose stories have remained classified. Reviews appreciated
1. Chapter 1

September 22, 1998

Raccoon City

Alan Redman hadn't slept within four walls and a roof in a long time. Of his 42 years, 11 had been on the streets, and after that long, any urge to improve his position had drained from him. His hair was long, gray and matted. Had he taken care of it he would have had an impressive lot on top of his head for someone his age, but nights spent huddled by sewage hadn't inspired him to maintain it.

It had been a failed business venture that drove him out of his modest house. He'd attempted to start a security firm, with his then best friend, Harrison Winkler. Things had been going well for several years. A good reputation and not a single lost dollar had seen their business bloom, but in 1987 Winkler had gotten a better offer, in the European branch of the Umbrella Corporation. His desertion had gutted Redman. For years the pair had decried the loss of small business to international bodies, going so far as to actively protest the building of a U-Mart in downtown Raccoon City. Evidently Redman had misjudged Winkler...money had been too good a benefit to turn down.

Things rapidly went from bad to worse. Winkler's greed had been surprisingly vast. With a superior knowledge of property law, Winkler quickly sold off the three branches of Redman & Winkler Security, leaving Redman with nothing but his own home to his name. Within a year, his savings run dry, and that too was taken. And so Redman ended up on the streets, quickly learning the tricks of survival in mean backstreets and local parks.

On this brisk September night, Redman hadn't expected to find the Hyperion Apartments building empty. It had been abandoned at the start of the 70s, and had become a hotspot for drug dealers and transients. Tonight though, it was strangely empty, and Redman took it upon himself to stake a claim in one of the rooms on the first floor. It was far more comfortable than he was used to; reminding him of his days back in college.

Sleep had been easy that night.

Hours later, with darkness well and truly settled, voices could finally be heard in the lobby of the building. Redman's eyes sprang open and he immediately grabbed at his pack of belongings. Theft of meagre belongings was common among the vagrant drug addicted, and Redman did not want to see his few dollars and scavenged sandwiches to leave him. The voices from downstairs were loud and obnoxious, clearly intoxicated, and suspiciously angry. Deciding to cut his losses, Redman resolved to sneak away.

He crept to the door of the apartment, and pushed the door open a fraction of an inch. Heavy footsteps and drunken laughter echoed up from the ground floor. Shadows thrown against the staircase indicated their imminent appearance, and fearful of a confrontation, Redman ran in the opposite direction, down the corridor towards what he hoped was another staircase.

Instead, all he found was a dead end and more apartments. Cursing under his breath, he forced open one of the apartments and slid into what appeared to be a guest bedroom. This room was particularly torn apart. The mattress on the bed ripped, and the vanity in the corner smashed into chunks. Redman slid to a seated position in the corner, his head in his hands, hoping it wasn't that damn biker gang he'd encountered last week who were taking up residence.. That would be just his luck.

Night continued uneventfully. The drunken shouting got louder, but not closer, and Redman was confident he would remain concealed. His eyes drooped as sleep started to encroach.

"Ow! FUCK!" He hissed.

Something had bitten him, hard and viciously on his finger. He looked down and cried out in surprise. A rat the size of a Chihuahua had his finger clenched firmly in its huge teeth, tearing savagely at it. Surprise and pain overtook him, as he flung his hand toward the wall, taking the rat with him. A small cracking sound was heard, and Redman was positive it was at least one of the rat's legs. Indeed, when the rat hit the ground, it found itself unable to walk properly, staggering about.

Redman swore, checking his wound. Almost all the padded flesh of his index finger had been torn away, and bone was just visible through the twisted, bloody mess. Redman went to kick at the crippled rat, but gasped to see it was crawling towards him on its broken legs, squeaking and, if possible, hissing at him. He could see his own blood dripping from its mouth. Shaken, he stomped on its neck with his boot and took primitive satisfaction at the squelching that accompanied it.

"Fucker." He whispered.

Redman smiled...and without warning doubled over, vomit spewing from his mouth. Dizzy, Redman slipped to his knees. Darkness clouded his vision with a speed that bewildered him. He was unconscious before his body slumped to the floor.

When Redman's eyes fluttered open, two things immediately occurred to him. 1, the sounds of the gang that had invaded the building were gone. 2, he was hungry.

Very, very hungry.

Pushing himself up off of the ground, his eyes glanced over his hand. Startled, he took a closer look. The finger that had been bitten was still smeared with blood, but underneath it, where he expected to see pink flesh, it was black; solid, jet black; like you would find coming out of a permanent marker.

He stumbled to his feet, his limbs trembling and his mouth feeling dry and cracked. A sudden wince of pain erupted in one of his gums, and Redman felt the taste of blood...his blood. And while normally this would have nauseated him, he felt...pleased.

Tremors continuing to shake his body, his limbs twitching uncontrollably, Redman staggered into the hallway, all hesitation to encounter the invaders completely forgotten. He could feel something inside him, slowly and systematically killing everything inside him, and he couldn't bear it anymore.

His stomach was in knots; he needed to eat something. He knew if he could just eat then things would be better.

Eat...

Eat...

Eat...

~~*~~

Greg had been running with this gang for about four months. They had their shit way more organized than the last group he'd fallen in with. These guys knew where all the good places to crash were, where all the easy targets for various acts of theft and thuggery were. Things had been pretty sweet with them.

On this particular autumn night Greg had his eye on the newest addition to their group, a homely 17 year old runaway by the name of Tamsyn. Being only 20 himself, Greg felt it was his chivalrous duty to protect her from the older and less savoury men who prowled Raccoon City's streets.

She was dressed provocatively. Not four hours ago she was part of one of their newest schemes. Dressed as a stereotypical hooker, with platform stilettos and a latex mini-skirt, Tamsyn lured fat, rich white guys into dark alleys where naturally, the toughest of the group waited with blunt instruments to scare whatever cash the man had on him into their hands. It had worked a treat.

Tamsyn's eyes scanned the people around her, and rested on Greg's. A small smile tugged at one side of her mouth. She slid over next to him, and went to whisper in his ear...

But before any noise could escape her throat the door to the apartment in which they were squatting shuddered. The noise it made was so loud that the three men seated near it leapt to their feet.

"What the fuck?" One of them exclaimed, reaching towards the back of his pants for the handgun that rested in his belt.

The door shuddered again. Everyone was standing now; Tamsyn had slipped behind Greg, fearful.

"Whose out there?" The first guy said, sternly. No answer. He repeated his question, but still no answer.

The door buckled; splinters of wood slipping to the floor.

The first reached out for the door handle, hesitant. As a tough street-gang member he rarely felt intimidated by anything, but his heart was thumping and sweat had quickly gathered on his forehead.

His hand rested on the handle, drawing in a breath for just a moment, before he finally turned it, pulling the door to the apartment open swiftly.

There, framed by the darkness of the hallway, was a vagrant, dressed in torn jeans and the most stereotypical of hobo trench coats. His head was lowered against chest, and everyone could hear his ragged breathing.

"What the fuck are you doing?" The first member said, pulling his gun out and letting it hang by his side.

The vagrant didn't reply, he merely stood there, shaking.

The first member repeated his question, angrier, and still the vagrant didn't reply...until...with a whimper and a visible, bodily shudder, he raised his head.

Tamsyn screamed.

His eyes were red, his nose dripping blood. One side of his mouth was drooped down almost to where his chin was, and around his neck were long, deep scratch marks, and, looking closely at his hands, they all could see the flesh from his neck were under his fingernails.

The group stared at him for a moment...stunned...

That is, until, his drooping mouth snapped open in a snarl, and his bloody hands snatched at the first gang member's face. He screamed and fell backwards, the vagrant falling right on top of him. For a moment nobody could tell exactly what was happening, until, with a soft squishing noise and a blood-curling scream, everyone gathered saw the vagrant's teeth sink into the man's flesh.

The man screamed, flailing, as the vagrant tore away half of his jugular in one swift action. The vagrant swallowed it quickly and followed it with another savage bite to the man's neck. His screams were now muffled with the blood that spurted upwards from his vocal cords and torn arteries.

The other gang members stared in disbelief for a moment, and it wasn't until the third bite that effectively ended all struggles from the dying man that any of them did anything.

The leader of the group, Kane, whipped his Glock handgun out from his belt, and with a yell of fury, let off five rounds in quick succession.

Kane was no half-assed shooter. He aimed with careful accuracy at the vagrants chest, confident he would strike him with no risk to any of his gang. Indeed, the five bullets struck his back and sides, but you would be hard pressed to have seen a reaction in the feeding tramp. Kane had shot several people in his life, and each time part of their body had disintegrated in a splatter of blood, or at the very least let a large jet of crimson shoot into the air. None of that happened with this monster. Instead, each bullet hit with a softened thump, leaving five dark holes in his body, but not a single drop of his blood fell.

His mind, in more calm times, would have gone to Kevlar or something similar, but this cannibalistic man was so far beyond what he was used to that the thought didn't even occur to him.

"RUN!"

Nobody knew who shouted it, except that they screamed it with such unbridled fear that you couldn't help but take heed.

Greg immediately grabbed Tamsyn's wrist, squeezing too tight and making her gasp. He dragged her backwards into one of the bedrooms and kicked the door shut. With nary a pause, he tossed Tamsyn onto a bed and dragged a dilapidated chest of drawers across the doorway.

The moment he released it, the screams of the men still inside the room began to ring out. A pair of hands started banging on the bedroom door, shrieking to be let in.

"Greg! Greg we have to-" Tamsyn started, but she was silenced when Greg's hand clapped across her mouth.

The door was shaking even more violently, as the man's cries for help turned to screams, and eventually to a choked gurgling, and finally silence.

As soon as his moans ceased, Greg leapt from the bed, allowing Tamsyn to finish her choked cry.

"What are you doing?" She demanded, curling up into the fetal position on the probably soiled bedcovers.

Greg ignored her question, as he flicked the latch on the window. He bent at the knees to push it up, but it was immediately apparent it was stuck fast.

"SHIT!" He hissed, "I can't open it."

"Ju-just break the glass?' Tamsyn suggested, bluntly.

Greg paused for a moment listening out for any more signs of violence from the rest of the apartment. It was quiet, but the trickle of blood that had started to seep under the doorway wasn't encouraging.

"Okay," Greg muttered, "Okay, this is what we'll do." He sat down next to Tamsyn and wrapped his muscular arms around her tiny and poorly dressed frame. "We're going to wait...I don't know...maybe ten minutes? Okay?" Tamsyn nodded. "And then, I'm going to smash the glass, and straight away, i mean _straight_ away you're going to go out that window. There's the fire escape ladder out there, but we don't have time to lower it properly. Now, I don't have my gun, and I want you out of here as soon as possible okay?"

Suddenly Tamsyn's composure broke and she started slapping her hands against his chest.

"No! Stop saying 'okay' goddammit!" She spat, "Everything is _NOT_ okay! We've locked ourselves in some fucking shit hole bedroom while some freak eats our friends! THIS IS NOT OKAY!"

Greg stared at her bewildered for a moment, and was about to open his mouth to offer comforting untruths, when the door once again started banging and shaking. Tamsyn screamed once more and buried her face in Greg's chest, her mascara streaking her cheeks.

Snarls came from the other side of the flimsy wood, from multiple throats. Greg's spine shivered as he wondered who else had joined the first horrific apparition.

Sliding off the bed again, he gently lifted Tamsyn to her feet and pushed her up against the wall next to the window.

"Cover your eyes, just in case." He softly commanded.

In the corner of the room was a clearly unused fireplace, and resting against it, by sheer luck, was its fire-poker. With the practised grip of a former baseballer, Greg held the poker up high and swung at what once had probably been an attractive (and clean) window.

A small sigh of relief escaped him as the glass gave way with ridiculous ease, and with a quick swipe of the metal rod the remaining shards fell from the window sill.

Grabbing Tamsyn again, this time a little rougher, he pushed her towards the window, and held her hand as she lifted one long leg out of the gap.

"Just grab onto the fire escape there Tammy, it's only one floor down so it's not too far!" He said encouragingly.

Her fingers shakily gripped the rungs of the ladder, as she pulled both of her legs out of the building. Her momentum swung her out further than expected and she pin-wheeled her legs in an effort to stabilise herself. She rested one on the ledge outside the window, but her platform pumps slipped on the wet granite. Tamsyn shrieked into the night as she slipped again, one of her hands slipping from the rung above her.

"GREG!" She called. She couldn't see him, as she faced the other way.

When he didn't reply, she bit her lip and reached up for the rung again. Reasserting herself, Tamsyn swung herself around so she faced towards the bedroom.

Tamsyn went to call for him again, but her voice fled her as she took in what she saw.

The door to the bedroom was splintered in half. The chest of drawers remained, but the entire top section of the door lay in pieces on the floor. Greg was pressed up against the window, frozen. Framed in the doorway, half on, half off the drawers, was the hobo that had interrupted their revelry. Fresh blood dripped from its mouth, splattering the floor.

"Greg..." Tamsyn hissed softly, "Greg get out here now!"

The vagrant slid down off the drawers and onto the floor, a chilling growl echoing from its gore-filled mouth.

"GREG! GET THE FUCK OUT HERE!"

Her shriek suddenly compelled Greg into action. Yelping like a wounded puppy, he turned to the window and clumsily lifted one leg up and out. Tamsyn reached out for him with one hand, planting her feet more firmly this time on the ledge just beneath her.

"Come on!" She moaned, her fingers wrapping around his wrist, pulling him jerkily halfway out.

A relieved and unconscious smile broke across Greg's face. He'd made it out!

"GREG!" Tamsyn's shrill and high-pitched cry broke the illusion of security in a fraction of a second.

The vagrant's hand clutched at Greg's ankle, the blackened finger where the rat had bit breaking as Greg started trying to tug it free.

"GET THE FUCK OFF ME!" Greg cried, wrenching his hand free from Tamsyn and bashing at the vagrants gnarled digits.

With a groan more animal than human, the vagrant leant its head in towards Greg's trapped leg, and, in a flash, bit down savagely into his ankle with a horrid crunching noise.

Greg's screams echoed throughout downtown Raccoon City, but naturally, no one bar Tamsyn was listening.

With as much force as he could muster, Greg kicked upwards with his wounded leg, smashing up into the vagrant's teeth, freeing it from his grip.

The cannibalistic attacker grunted and fell back, its head slamming into one of the metal bedposts, a cracking noise indicating its skull had smashed.

Another triumphant smile crossed Greg's face...but yet again it was quickly wiped away. His efforts to free his leg had come at a cost.

His leg carried on, on its course, its momentum sending it up, and him backward, straight out the window and down toward the pavement below. His and Tamsyn's panicked shouts mingled in the air, as the dark, water streaked concrete rushed up to meet him.

It was only a few meters, but as he plummeted that short distance, Greg knew what would happen. He was falling head first...there was only one possible outcome.

Tamsyn stared down at the ground, dangling free in space, her eyes fixed on the still figure below her. Gulping, fresh tears dropping down her face, she steadied her feet for the third time on the window ledge. She reached out and held onto the facade of the building, taking a moment to catch her breath, her head rested against the wall.

"Tammy...Tammy...just...climb down." She whispered to herself.

With another small moan, she eased herself backwards, her feet sliding down on either side of the water pipe that ran up next to the ladder. Her long nails scratched on the plastic as she started to carefully and gingerly let herself down, inch by inch, foot by foot.

About five feet above the ground she chanced it and dropped down to the pavement, wincing as her legs jarred momentarily. But any thoughts of her own pain vanished as she once again caught sight of Greg.

He was motionless on the ground, face up.

"Greg..." She whispered, crawling over to him. Her hands ran over his chest as she shuddered.

His head was twisted oddly, his neck at nearly a right angle to how it was supposed to be. His eyes were glassy, and blood oozed out of the corner of his mouth.

"Greg..." Tamsyn repeated, "No...don't...you can't..."

A sudden whirring of sirens caught her attention, forcing her to tear her eyes away from his blank eyes. The red and blue lights were still blocks away, but she knew that they were coming her way. And if there was one thing she had learnt in her time with the gang, it's that no matter what, when cops come, you split. No matter whose crying for help, you bail, no hesitation.

With a quick kiss on his already cold lips, Tamsyn stole away into a nearby alley, her stilettos and the sirens the only sound to indicate anything at all had happened.


	2. Chapter 2

September 23, 1998

Racoon City: Raven's Path Preparatory School

"Hey Capshaw, can see your pa-"

The perverted catcall was cut short by a sharp slap.

"That's my girlfriend you prick." Todd Fischer, varsity quarterback and all-around head jock, spat as he smacked the offending friend on the back of his head.

"Christ Fischer!" Mitchell whimpered, "You realise when you pull your punches you still hit harder than any of us..."

With a playful shove, and a few more innocent wolf whistles, Todd, Mitchell and the rest of the team sauntered down the front steps of the prestigious school and over to where Todd's girlfriend, Jackie Capshaw stood.

Jackie stood, leaning against Todd's pride and joy, a 1972 Dodge Charger. The blonde curls she had spent half an hour perfecting sat perched upon her carefully presented chest, which was barely contained beneath a button-up school shirt that was purposefully two sizes too small. To her right was the statuesque Tatiana, a brunette Russian-born, and to her left was Nashawna, her best friend since pre-K. The three of them knew what the rest of the team were looking at, and they did their best to flaunt it.

When Todd wrapped his arms around Jackie's waist she eagerly pressed her lips against his and softly whispered how much she'd missed him. The boys had only just returned from their first away game and Todd was eager to celebrate their victory.

"So," Jackie said," What're the plans for tonight?"

Todd looked at his teammates and with a sly smile replied, "I think a night in is all called for."

At these words the other teenagers started cheering. A 'night in' was Raven's Path code for "hang around the school, get absolutely wasted and trash the place and blame it on junkies". It had been tradition for any successful sports team since the eighties.

Softly to Jackie, Todd added, "And you better be there..."

She pulled him closer and leant in to give another kiss, and then in a flash pushed him away, lowered her leg and crossed her ankle to cover the love heart tattoo on an ankle. Standing up at the top of the stairs, near the two, massive, glass front doors, was Charles Robson, the janitor/groundskeeper of Raven's Path. He had been on a warpath over the last few months, just aching to punish any of the team, and Jackie knew better than to flaunt their affection in front of each other.

Todd smiled down at Jackie and gave a quick peck on the cheek.

"Let's get out of here. I got my ID, we can get the drinks." He said. "See you guys back here in about an hour, 'kay?"

The others murmured their agreement and dispersed, each heading for their separate cars.

Jackie slipped herself gracefully into the passenger seat, but as Todd opened the driver side door, he swore to himself.

"What is it?" Jackie asked, leaning across to him.

"I forgot my goddamn gym bag." He hissed, "FUCK! I had to take that shit home. Hang on one minute okay babe? I'll just run back and get it."

Smiling genially, Jackie blew him a kiss, "Take your time...but seriously...be quick..."

Todd smirked and turned back to the school, leaving Jackie to fiddle with the CDs in his car.

Smiling and throwing out polite acknowledgements where appropriate, Todd strode back through the main corridor of the school building, heading towards the football field. He ran his hands down the classically styled steel lockers, flicking the few empty ones.

The school was new, but classically built. A large atrium branched off in three long corridors, with classes on either side. There were two floors with classes, and a dance/music studio in the attic. The expansive sports fields and gym were located at the back, enclosed by a high fence that was almost impossible to jump over, unless you knew how (which, conveniently, most of the students did).

The locker-rooms were down the back steps and to the left for the boys. Smiling gleefully, Todd slid down one of the banisters, and was about to swing around to the door when he heard the gasp and the cry of pain from further off to his right. He froze and fell silent, listening out for it again.

There was another cry and a short beg, followed by an audible smacking noise and a smashing. Todd furrowed his brow. He might've fulfilled almost all criteria to be the stereotypical jock, but acceptance of bullying wasn't something he adhered to.

He strode confidently around to the other side of the staircase, which was where the school's dumpsters were kept. What he saw made his jaw drop and his blood run cold.

Huddled between two trashcans, whose contents were strewn on the floor, was the huddled and blood soaked form of Danny Fischer, Todd's younger brother. His face was covered in red, and he was curled up, clutching his stomach. Blood splattered the concrete around him, and glass lay in fragmented and jagged pieces by his head.

Standing over him were Oscar and Ian Geddow, identical twins who had tried, and failed, to make it onto Todd's team, and they hadn't taken the refusal well. There was no evidence to prove it, but it was widely accepted that it had been them who had set fire to the locker-room, destroying half of the team's uniforms and nearly the whole team's personal belongings they'd been storing in there. When the Geddows got away scott free, the team took it upon themselves to make their lives as difficult as possible. The brothers had been ostracized unilaterally across the school, becoming more outcast than even the fundamentalist kid who preached damnation and hellfire during recess.

Outnumbered completely, Oscar and Ian never managed to properly seek the vengeance they wanted, and had taken to picking on more classic victims: the nerds, the meek, and, in the case of Danny Fischer, the effeminate.

Having not seen Todd's arrival, the pair continued to kick and spit at Danny's body, spitting the words 'faggot' and 'cocksucker' with regularity. It wasn't until Danny's meek cry of 'Todd' that the two finally looked around and gasped.

"You sons of bitches!" Todd hissed, charging towards them, his fraternal fury letting itself loose. His little brother had been a target since grade school, as he had never known how or when to hide his feminine tendencies. When he came out at 15 it had made things easier, but there were still a couple of backward individuals, like the Geddows, who thought they had the right to act as they did.

The twins fled, their smaller frames and longer legs allowing them to easily pull ahead of Todd before he was close enough to strangle them as he'd hoped. Seeing it was futile, he stopped, and crouched by his injured brother, cradling his head.

"Come on buddy, come on," He whispered, "Make some more noise." Danny moaned and coughed, blood splattering against Todd's crisp white shirt.

Grimacing, Todd put his brother's arm around his neck and gripped him beneath his knees. With ease, he lifted Danny completely off the ground, and rushed up the stairs and out towards the front of the school.

When Jackie saw through the window what happened, she shrieked and leapt out; grabbing Danny's other arm and helping Todd lower him back down.

"What the fuck Todd!" Jackie yelped, "What the hell happened?!" She cried out in pain as she ran a hand over Danny's hair. Tiny glass fragments were buried in his skin, and now her palm.

Todd explained what had happened, whilst also lowering the passenger seat inside his car, to make room for him.

"Babe, look," Todd whispered, holding onto Jackie by the shoulders, "I know you're worried about him, but I'm going to take him to the hospital okay? I want you to call our parents, tell them what's up. And then promise me," He shook her gently, "You'll still have fun tonight okay? Don't worry anybody else. Just have a good time, for me, okay?"

Jackie nodded her head, puzzled, but willing to do what he asked.

With a soft kiss to the lips, Todd left, burning rubber as his Charger sped off towards the hospital.

Sliding her cell phone from her bag, Jackie quickly informed his parents of what had happened, and then let Jimmy know that his sister was going to have to get the booze for them now that Todd was unable to come. Smiling weakly, she headed across the parking lot, where Tatiana, fortunately, was still trying to start her aged Volkswagen.

**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~

"Where the hell is he?" Principal Humphries pouted, tapping his foot. Robson had locked these doors every night since the school opened without fail, but nobody had seen him since before school let out. Frowning, Humphries pulled out his set of keys and closed up the doors. Checking they were secure, he shrugged and headed off to the empty staff parking lot.

**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~

The school closed and locked its doors at 5:30. The team, along with Jimmy's helpful sister Victoria, had easily slipped into the school at quarter past. The plan was: party as long as they could last in one of the upstairs drama halls, where there were couches instead of desks. When the time came, they would slip out the window of the girl's second floor bathroom, which had a broken lock, slide down onto the roof of the science rooms, which conveniently joined onto the fence that encircled the sports fields. From there, they could easily drop down into the teachers' car park.

The party swung into full force before night had completely fallen. Beers and spirits were downed like pros, and the odd joint was lit and discarded.

Soon enough, the music and bottles were forgotten, and each member of the team (the lucky ones at least) had become intertwined with one of the girls invited.

Tatiana and Mitchell were on the stage of the hall, Tatiana straddling him. They'd been locked like that for over an hour. Jimmy and Nashawna were doing the same on one of the couches, and Keith and Dominic were both doing their best to get one of the other girls alone.

Jackie, however, was not enjoying herself as much as she should've been. She had been texting Todd on and off since he'd left, waiting to hear any news. Just as the group were locked in, she'd finally gotten hold of him. He was brief, and rushed, but the gist was that Danny would be okay, but that Todd would be staying with him most of the night, and that it would be unlikely that he'd make it back to the school.

She sat back, alone on her separate armchair, cradling a bottle of beer in her arms. She'd hoped it was going to be an awesome night, but, for her at least, it was turning out to be one hell of a dud.

**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**

Mitchell leaned in to Tatiana's ear during a lull in the music, and said, "Let's go outside. I need a smoke."

Tatiana was confused. "I didn't know you smoked? I thought that was only..." It dawned on her, and a sheepish but pleased smile spread across her pointed face. "Who'd you get the stuff from this time?"

"Who do I get it off every other time?" Mitchell winked, "The art teacher, Wendy."

The pair giggled and, like naughty elementary students, ran off down the stairs and out the back of the school. They stopped just by the edge of the football field, where Mitchell set about rolling the pair's first joint.

The effects were slow, and they stood holding hands, watching the stars. As time went on, they drew closer and closer together; each of their hips pressing against the other's. They slid down to the concrete, entwined their limbs around each other, and stared out at the dark, misty football field.

There they stayed for at least an hour. Midnight came and went, and still the pair stared and tightened their grip on each other. They had been hooking up at parties for the last five or six months, and their nights usually ended the same way: somewhere alone, with a joint between them. Their friends never suspected these long hours spent alone had resulted in an affection for each other that ran even deeper than what Jackie and Todd had for each other.

Tatiana leaned in to Mitchell's ear and whispered, "Why don't we just get out of here..." She trailed off, her fingers on one hand slowly making their way up Mitchell's thigh.

His mouth hung open slightly, a smirk too nervous to appear. He was about to stammer his answer when both of them heard a low, soft growl.

**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**

Danny had been in Emergency for just over half an hour before Todd heard any news. His injuries had looked far worse than they were. Todd had been positive that Danny's head had been caved in, or that all his organs were bleeding, that was how terrified he'd been. As it turned out, he only had a few broken ribs, a cracked tooth, the mildest of concussions, and a hell of a lot of bruises.

Their parents had arrived just as they were wheeling Danny out and into recovery. They had rushed straight to his side like any good parents. Unlike good parents however, this was exactly as they'd always feared. Since Danny told them he was gay, their biggest concern had always been his safety. They'd seen the horror stories on the news, and knew what could happen. Their hopes had been realised for most of his life. He'd never gotten in fights and his thick skin had prevented the kind of depression all too rampant in teenagers. Until now, that was.

Todd's phone beeped. His parents were in with Danny as he slept, so he subtly slipped it out and checked it. Naturally, it was Jackie, checking how he was. Todd wished he could lie easily and say he was fine, but tears had been building up behind his eyes for a long time. They'd been at the hospital for hours, watching over the sleeping Danny, and Todd had never dealt with hospitals well. He wished he could run straight to Jackie and hold her close, but he didn't want to do that until he'd spoken to Danny.

"Hon," It was his mother, "Why don't you go in and sit with him just a minute, we're going to-" Her sentence was cut off by a quick hiccup and sniff, before continuing, "We're going to get some coffee. Just... walk a bit." She leant in and kissed Todd's forehead, before she and her husband left.

He slipped into Danny's room and sat down in the chair next to his bed. He couldn't bear to look right at Danny. When he did his mind flashed back to the moment he'd found him and the twins. With a shudder, he'd imagined what would've happened if he _hadn't_ forgotten his bag, if he hadn't had to go back and get it; if the twins had been free to finish their attack.

Todd's musings were interrupted by a weak moan. Danny's eyes had fluttered open and he kept moving as if to stretch out his limbs. With a gentle hand on his chest, Todd held Danny down. Moving about probably wouldn't help his ribs in the slightest.

"Todd..." He groaned, "Hospital, right?"

"Yeah, that's where you are."

Todd explained what had happened over the next ten minutes, and to his surprise, Danny just started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Todd asked, bewildered.

"I don't even know." Danny said, tears from laughing sliding down his cheeks.

Their parents appeared at the door, their faces white with worry after hearing all the noise from his room. Their relief at Danny's smile was obvious and they rushed over to hug him again. They talked with each other for another ten minutes, before Todd's mother sat up in shock, looking at the clock.

"TODD!" She cried, "You've got a study session first thing tomorrow! Get your ass home!"

Within a minute, his stuff had been collected for him, and he'd been pushed out the front door of the hospital, all with a look of utter confusion on his face.

"Go to bed!" His mother called, opening the door of his car for him.

"Oh....'kay...." Todd stammered, starting the engine.

As he drove away, he unconsciously started towards the school, where Jackie awaited him. With a grim smile, he imagined getting to put his arms around and Jackie and let it all out.

**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**

"Hey, guys?" Jackie called, turning off the music, "Where the hell are Tatiana and Mitch?"

The group, engrossed in their debauchery though they were, stopped, and looked around, before shrugging.

Jackie was about to flick the music back off when a scream so high and so shrill she doubted it could be human came flooding into their ears.

**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**

Twenty meters away, where the security lights of the school faded into blackness, stood a dog. Mitchell could see it was a dog, but inside his heart turned cold and icy because he knew that it wasn't _just_ a dog.

"Mitch, what is it?" Tatiana whispered, her manicured nails clutching at his shirt.

"A...dog..." Mitchell answered, "But..." He couldn't finish the sentence. The dog had taken a step forward. He could see exactly what it was that he couldn't put his finger on.

It was a golden retriever, in a bright red collar. Everyone in the school knew that it was Robson's dog, the janitor's companion. Its name was Rex, or Spot, or something else ridiculously stereotypical. It was usually seen running up and down the football field during training, its tongue rolling about. He was far more liked by the school population than Robson himself. He'd always been a gorgeous dog.

It wasn't anymore.

It looked as if almost all its flesh had fallen off along its flanks, leaving nothing but blackened, twisted muscle and strips of fur dangling against the ground. Its tail had fallen off, and one whole side of its head had come clean away, leaving only bone and enough muscle around its jaws and teeth to allow it to open, and let out another low growl.

"Mitchell, let's go." Tatiana whimpered, "Let's go, let's go, LET'S GO!"

Her hand released its grip, and she turned, bursting into a sprint, as fast as her heels would allow.

"Tat, wait!" Mitchell hissed, turning to follow her.

Behind them, the dog's growl turned into a vicious, gnarled bark, as its warped limbs sprang into movement.

The pair raced for the back-door of the school, not turning to see their horrific attacker's rapid approach.

Tatiana reached the door first, pushing it open in one swift motion. She spun around to call for Mitchell to hurry, but instead, screamed. Mitchell had made it inside, but as he had grabbed the door to push it closed, they'd both realised just how quick the retriever was. It sprang onto his chest, knocking him to the ground just in front of Tatiana.

Her hands clutched at her hair as she screamed, sliding to the floor. Mitchell squealed and tried to push the dog off him, but its bloodied teeth bit down into his hand, tearing one of his fingers off. His shrieks went higher as the dog reared back, his severed finger sliding down its throat. He kicked with his legs and tried to slide backwards, only for the dog to look down at him and snarl once more.

Tatiana could see what was going to happen, but she couldn't turn away. The dog snapped its jaws forward, its teeth slamming around Mitchell's nose and cheek. She could hear bone splinter in his face and his screams turned into intermittent yells and gurgles, as blood splattered in all directions. The dog turned even more savage, its bites becoming shorter and wilder. It tore at one side of Mitchell's head, ripping off his ear and a clump of his cheek. It bit again, this time at his throat, tearing out his jugular in one motion. His vocal cords collapsed with this, and his screams vanished, but his weak struggles continued, spurring the dog on even more.

Tatiana couldn't bear it, her screams turning into one continuous noise. A puddle appeared underneath her, and if she'd been given just a moment's pause she would've realised she'd wet herself.

She pushed herself away from what was now Mitchell's corpse, and reached out to pull herself further along the floor. Her whimper and the click of her heels on the tile alerted the dog to her presence, and its snarls turned once more to the low growl.

She paused, freezing in place. Her eyes closed and she prayed for respite, but when the growl came once more, it pushed them both into action.

As she stood, the dog leapt again. Its teeth closed not around flesh, but the tangled mess of her brunette locks. It fell to the floor tugging at them, yanking her head back viciously. Her short cry of agony was accompanied by a soft ripping, as it tore a chunk of hair from her head. Desperate, Tatiana started running again, racing for the stairs. The dog was confused by the substance in its mouth, but a shake of its head freed its canines from the hair. It snarled again and set off after Tatiana.

**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**

The group still upstairs stood fearfully clumped together, staring at the door. More and more screams had followed the first, and they didn't know whether they should investigate or stay put.

Jackie stood in front of them, just by the door, her hand hovering hesitantly over the knob. She looked back at them, looking for some reassurance as to what she should do.

Resolved, she opened it a fraction, before throwing it wide open in shock. Tatiana was streaking towards them down the corridor, the heels on her pumps snapped off, her chest and face covered in blood. As she dove through the doorway, she shrieked, "SHUT THE DOOR! SHUT THE FUCKING DOOR!"

Jackie turned back to the corridor, confused, until she saw the desiccated and bloody dog bounding forwards. She slammed it shut just in time; the dog's withered body slamming into it. The wood bent, but held together. After a moment, it bent again, as the dog started to scratch and slam at it.

"Tatiana, what the fuck?!" Nashawna exclaimed, grabbing onto Tatiana gently, "Where's Mitchell?"

Tatiana's eyes widened and her lip trembled, snot streaming down out of her nose, "He's...he's..."

"He's what, angel? Tell us!"

"DEAD!" As the word escaped, the tears came and she started screaming and sobbing hysterically.

The rest of them stared at each other, mouths wide open.

"What the fuck do we do?" Jimmy Kessler blubbered, almost as hysterical as Tatiana. She had bumped into him first, and his white shirt now had a massive splash of blood across it.

Jackie, who still stood at the door, was about to respond with a terrified "I don't know", when the dog's attempts finally succeeded. The weak jamb on the door splintered and the door sprang open. It shot out and into Jackie's back, knocking her down and pushing her up against the wall, hidden by the door itself.

The dog stood there, staring menacingly for a moment. Nashawna screamed and the dog turned to her. Its hind legs prepared to strike, and she threw her arms up to protect herself.

Hayden Lucas however hadn't fallen to pieces like Jimmy. He'd grabbed the metal music stand that Miss Casey, the drama teacher, used as a lectern, and struck the dog with it. It connected with the underside of its head, knocking it across the room and onto its back.

He reached out and grabbed Nashawna's wrist, tugging her towards the open door. The rest of the group, who, over the course evening, had been whittled down to seven, followed suit.

Jimmy was last, but he stopped at the door when he saw Jackie still stunned behind the door. He was about to bend down to pull her up when he was hit from behind by the form of the dog. He yelped for a moment, but a quick hard bite from the creature on the back of his neck turned his yelp into a scream, as it tore out all the flesh and arteries from his throat and shoulder.

Jackie screeched, and pulled herself up with the door. She slipped past the dog as it savaged Jimmy's screaming, crying body. He called out for help, reaching out with a shaking hand, but she shook her head, her eyes wide. Even in the midst of the violence, knowing full well she couldn't do anything, she felt an ache of guilt. She shut her eyes and tried to block out Jimmy's cries as she tore off after the others.

**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**

Todd slowed his car to a stop just outside the front of the school. He would've parked in the staff lot, but he felt he needed a walk in the brisk night air first, to dry the tears on his cheeks. He still wanted to look at least presentable to Jackie.

**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**

"Guys, stop!" Jackie cried, pursuing the rest of them. They ignored her and as a group fled down the stairs.

"Stop guys! YOU CAN'T GET OUT THAT WAY!" She cried desperately, as she heard the click of the dog's claws start towards her from the drama rooms.

She sped down the stairs, catching up with them just as they turned the corner towards the front door. They'd finally stopped.

"Guys, Christ, we can only get out upstairs!" She said, grabbing onto Hayden's shoulder. None of them reacted to her, and she looked at their faces, confused, "What is it?"

Standing in the main corridor, facing away from them, was the janitor, Robson. He was swaying back and forth, and even in the dull light they could see his blue uniform was torn and blood-stained. For a moment, all of them had forgotten the dog.

Robson turned towards them, and Leon, one of the defensive players, called out, "Mr...Robson?"

He was answered by a growl and a snarl of a different kind, this one emanating from Robson's throat. His face was just like the dog's: torn and bloody. One of his eye sockets had been broken and torn open, his eye protruding grotesquely. His top lip had been torn off, and the bare teeth gave the impression of a disturbing smile.

Leon stepped forward, and called out again, "Mr Robson?"

"Leon, NO!" Hayden cried but too late. Robson staggered forward jerkily, and grabbed Leon around the neck, pulling him tight. He tried to struggle forwards, reaching out and imploring for the others to help him, but Robson had already bit down into the back of his skull. Leon flapped his arms and tried to push Robson's head backwards, but Robson, or more accurately, whatever Robson had become, was determined. An audible crack was heard and blood poured out in a fountain, and Leon went limp. He slid to the floor, a long strip of pinky-grey flesh stretched from his perforated head to Robson's teeth.

This was enough, and the group, that had been in just a minute reduced from seven to five, turned and ran off for the backdoor, Jackie's exclamation that their only escape was upstairs forgotten.

As they raced past the stairs, they saw the dog at the top of them, its ravaged legs finding it difficult to navigate the descent. They ignored it and kept running, hoping there was something they could do when they made it outside.

Tatiana was in front, and it was she that stopped them this time.

"Mitchell!" She cried. He was slumped on the floor, leaning against the lockers, a long trail of blood leading from the spot where he'd been attacked. His face was almost gone, torn apart, and he was utterly motionless. Tatiana ran to him and knelt beside him, tears flowing, horrified she'd abandoned him to this fate

Again, it was left to Hayden to scream out a warning, and again it was too late. Mitchell's one eye not coated in shredded skin sprang open, and he snapped forward for Tatiana. Her helpless cry was silenced in an instant as Mitchell tore out her vocal cords, like the dog had done to him. She fell on her back, stunned, as Mitchell proceeded to tear at her stomach with his teeth.

Again, the remaining four backed away, terrified and revolted. They turned again, not knowing where to go or what options were left. Nashawna clung to Isabel, Hayden's girlfriend, so tight that blood was being drawn. Jackie and Hayden both stood apart, looking for some way to escape.

"No!" Nashawna moaned, and for a moment the other three didn't know to what they were referring. Then they saw. Behind them, Mitchell had staggered to his feet, now that Tatiana was dead. In front of them, Robson stood, snarling. The strip of brain that he had torn from Leon's head still dangled from his teeth. They were trapped.

**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**

Todd finally managed to get out of his car, his breath coming back, after he'd burst into tears.

**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**

Jackie grabbed Nashawna's wrist, and Hayden grabbed Isabel's, and they both pulled them forwards toward the stairs. At Robson, they split, Hayden and Isabel ducking beneath his reaching arms to the left, and Jackie and Nashawna to the right. Robson tried to reach for them all at once, and missed entirely, staggering forward into empty space.

With relief, the four of them sped for the stairs, Nashawna reaching them first. Before the other three could get there, however, she was slammed straight to the bottom of the steps, a bloody blur pressed into her chest. Nashawna screeched and thrashed as the dog bit into yet more teenaged flesh.

Moaning, Jackie pushed at Hayden and Isabel to run past them, back towards the front of the school.

"Come on, we'll smash the front door, go, GO!"

Their feet now coated in blood, making it hard to run properly, they dashed towards the doors, paying little notice to the corpse of Leon, lying in a pool of his own blood and brains.

They shook at the bolted doors, and pounded on the glass.

"Find something to break it!" Jackie hissed. She stared at the glass, hoping to see a crack, but instead, saw something completely unexpected.

**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**

"TODD!"

Todd whirled towards the front of the school, his gut clenching. Through the glass of the door, he could see Jackie, her blonde curls caked in crimson, banging and screaming. He rushed up the path and the small stairs, slamming into the door and tugging futilely at the handles.

"What's happening?" Todd called through the glass, chilled and worried.

"BREAK THE GLASS!" Jackie screamed, "HELP! BREAK IT QUICK!"

Todd looked around, heart racing, and his eyes fixed on a trash can just to his right. He grabbed it and swung with his considerable strength. He'd smashed the odd window in his life, and he hoped to hear the same blissful smashing noise, but instead, the trashcan bounced off it completely, almost hitting Todd as it bounced down the stairs.

"Shit!" He swore, "Safety glass!"

He looked back at Jackie through the door, horrified, "LOOK OUT!"

**~~**~~**~~**~~**~~**

Jackie spun to the side, hitting her shoulder on the fire hose box on the wall.

"Isabel, NO!" Hayden howled.

Mitchell had grabbed her from behind, and slammed her into the front door. She pleaded for help, for him to stop, but, like the others, cried out in horror as Mitchell's teeth pierced her body.

"Jackie run! RUN! GET UPSTAIRS AND RUN!"

Crying and dry-retching, she clutched at Hayden again, forcibly dragging him back toward the stairs _yet again_. They passed Leon's form yet again, and for a fleeting moment she had time to wonder what the hell was happening.

The dog was still preoccupied with Nashawna, who, to their horror, was still struggling weakly as it tore part of her intestines from her belly. Robson was staggering blindly around down a side-corridor, and, noted with grim certainty, Tatiana was stumbling to her feet, her eyes glassy, her mouth hanging open.

"She's one of them," Jackie whispered, as she pushed Hayden onto the stairs. They made it all the way to the top, and Jackie chanced a look at their attackers. The dog was heading off in the direction Robson had gone, finished with Nashawna, but Tatiana had seen them head upwards. She let out her first snarl as a new foe, and lifted one of her formerly pretty legs onto the step.

"Bathroom," Hayden mumbled, hopelessly, "We have to...bathroom..."

Holding each other up, they fell through the swinging girl's bathroom door.

"You first," Hayden said, still chivalrous, despite seeing his girlfriend's demise right in front of him.

Jackie pushed open the broken window, as she had done so many times before. She lifted herself on her weak, shivering arms, and pulled herself out and onto the roof of the science blocks. Her brain was still managing well enough to notice the cool air on her bare arms.

"FUCK!" She heard a cry from inside. Jackie looked inside to see Tatiana barrelling down on Hayden, gaining momentum as she flopped forward. "Run Jackie! Get the fuck out of..." His sentence ended with a scream as Tatiana came down upon him. Unthinking, she reached in to try and pull Hayden out. The tight pain of Tatiana's teeth snapping on her wrist ended that notion. She yanked her hand back in, appalled to see how deep the wounds were. She couldn't imagine any human biting so hard or ferociously.

Jackie didn't need to see inside to know Hayden was done, just like the others. His helpless moans and shrieks were nearly identical to everyone else's. Holding her bleeding arm with the other, she slid across the roof towards the spot where she could drop down safely. As she swung her legs over the side, she saw Todd leaping from his car, which he had just pulled up in. He held out his arms and caught her as she jumped, pulling her head into his chest.

"Where is everyone? What happened?!" He yelled, unintentionally loud.

"DEAD! DEAD, DEAD!" She hollered, pushing him back towards the car, "We gotta go, we gotta go!"

Todd, confused, let her in first, before taking the driver's seat. When he started 'too slow', according to Jackie, she stepped down on his foot, flooring it.

"Jackie, stop!" Todd hissed, as he for a moment lost control. His car sideswiped the parked school bus, losing its side mirror and a lot of paint, sending sparks up into the air.

Jackie didn't care.


End file.
